The Girl That They Forgot
by JustRhiannon
Summary: The estranged Darcy Walker, sister of Paul Walker, daughter of Sara Walker, is back after fifteen years of silence. She is nowhere near prepared for what will come her way; Love, pain, her haunting past. And she is certainly not one to back down. JacobxOC
1. Back Again?

**Only things I ever read anymore are JacobxOC fics; here's my version.**

**Chapter One: Back Again?**

Returning to my childhood home was certainly not something I'd ever imagined myself doing, in fact I never imagined I'd ever see my mother again either. Today was full of new experiences, but also haunting memories.

My name is Darcy Walker, long lost daughter of Sara Walker, and apparently, estranged sister of Paul Walker, not that I had any idea I had a sibling. I'm a bit of a free spirit when it comes to personality, and I won't deny that I may have a slight temper sometimes, which may be an understatement. This being the main reason I am here, at my mother's house, for the first time since I was two years old. Fifteen years is a long time to be away, but the restrictions placed on my life by someone who should have loved me, meant that I had no communication, visits, or even past memories of my 'first' life. I call it this because it seems so separated from now, so normal, so much better.

I stared out of the window of the cab, watching the trees and shrubs blur past in a mix of greens and browns, seemingly never ending against the gloomy sky which never appeared to have deposited all of it's rain. My head was spinning at the thought of a new start, a new life almost. Almost being the operative word. I was almost out. My mother had no idea I was coming, and I guess it was better this way, because then I couldn't be found right up until the last moment, where I was more certain I would be safe. I spotted a signpost for Forks, Washington and knew I was near, I remembered Forks was only a couple of miles from the La Push reservation from the map I briefly looked over in the small airport of Port Angeles. Port Angeles was a fairly dull town from what I had seen, very mundane and grey, but at least it had some decent shops, which I had made mental note of.

As the greenery whizzed by, my mind kept going over what I thought my first meeting with my mother would be like. Would she like me? Would she let me stay? Would she even recognise me? All the questions were perfectly valid; I hadn't seen her since I was two, and had long since changed. My once short and bouncy black ringlets had transformed into sleek, long waves that hung halfway down my back and my eyes had gone from regular sea blue, to a lighter, almost icy blue colour, which could not be normal for the Quiluete child, not that I was one hundred percent sure I was full Quiluete as I was never allowed information like that.

Entering Forks dredged up some old, but very vague memories. My memory at age two was not brilliant, in fact it was hardly there, which explains why I never remembered I had a brother, something I only found out from numerous phone calls and internet searches about my background. I could remember walking down the short but very quaint high street once a week when my mother and I went shopping for food. I always used to go to the playground for half an hour afterwards, grinning and laughing with my mother as she pushed me on the swings. I smiled to myself at the thought of those memories and wondered where it had all gone wrong. We drove past the old playground and I was happy to see that most things were still there, if a bit dilapidated, and there was even a young child swinging on the rusted old swing set; her long, bronze curls flying out behind her as she waved at what I assumed to be her father, as he had the same bronze hair.

As we neared the end of Forks, I felt a wave of nervousness crash over me. I had never done anything like this before, not even close, and it was taking it's toll on me. A sudden thought entered my mind: would she even be home? I dismissed it quickly, reasoning that if she wasn't, I had all the time in the world to wait for her, or Paul, depending on who answered the door.

The La Push reservation entered my view and I sucked in a breath. It was exactly like I imagined, my imagination being helped by some old memories as well. We drove past the beach where the unruly waves were breaking against the soft sand and leaving trails of white foam as they retreated back into the pull of the tide. It was a truly beautiful place that was almost untouched by civilisation, excluding the few clusters of houses that were dotted in and around the tall trees. It was like the forest was the ruler and the people were living under its guidance, allowing the forest to expand until it was almost taking over the sea and falling off the cliff sides.

My anxiety was at an all time high as the cab pulled up outside the address I had given him. I had no idea what the house looked like, I had only known the address, and a wave of nostalgia hit me. My childhood home, after fifteen years, had not changed. It wasn't a big house, but was big enough to comfortably fit a family of four, although only two were living in it now. The house was on two floors and the front door was made of dark coloured wood with a silver door knocker of the front in the shape of what I assumed was a wolf's head. There was an old blue Ford pulled up in the drive and an even older looking bicycle resting against the wall of the house, obviously long since forgotten about.

I was knocked out of my thoughts when the cab driver started talking; "Here we are love, wasn't such a bad drive today," he remarked.

"Thankyou very much," I replied with a small smile and handed him the money I owed. I stepped out of the car and grabbed my trusted grey rucksack, the one carrying the entirety of my belongings.

"Thanks, see ya love," the driver said before putting the car in gear and pulling away, leaving me totally on my own to face my next hurdle.

I took a couple of deep breaths to calm my erratic breathing pattern and walked the few steps that would lead me to the front door. As I placed my hand on the cool metal of the door knocker, my stomach started churning, this was it, this was my _mother_. I lifted the knocker up and rapped it three times, hoping that would be enough to get somebody's attention. After a few seconds of tense waiting, I heard footsteps qucikly entering the hallway behind the door. It all seemed to happen in slow motion for me as I saw the door handle being pushed down and the door slowly opeing with a deep creaking sound coming from the old, overused hinges.

When fully open, I was faced with a beautiful lady. She was obviously older and some deep wrinkles criss-crossed her face but her eyes were a sparkling blue colour, like mine and her chin length, wavy black hair just fell short of her eyes, which were staring at me with a bewildered expression. I could see her confusion, of course she didn't recognise me, I was nothing like I was, but I couldn't help but see the obvious similarities between us.

I decided to banish her confusion using two words;

"Hi mom."

**So do I carry on?**


	2. Acquaintances

**Since I'm nice. Also, I don't own a spell check, so excuse.**

**Chapter Two: Acquaintances**

_Previously: _

_When fully open, I was faced with a beautiful lady. She was obviously older and some deep wrinkles criss-crossed her face but her eyes were a sparkling blue colour, like mine and her chin length, wavy black hair just fell short of her eyes, which were staring at me with a bewildered expression. I could see her confusion, of course she didn't recognise me, I was nothing like I was, but I couldn't help but see the obvious similarities between us._

_I decided to banish her confusion using two words;_

_"Hi mom."_

Her eyes widened suddenly with realisation. Her lips parted and a short, sharp breath was taken between them. It seemed as if she was going to faint; her eyes just got bigger and bigger, and she rocked on the balls of her feet.

"Darcy," she whispered, still staring with sheer astonishment, searching my face for any trace that I was actually _her _Darcy. After a few seconds of just studying eachother, her eyes began to water and her face began to scrunch up.

"Oh mom," I whispered, my own eyes leaking tears now as well. That seemed to trigger something inside her and she stepped forward, prompting me to do the same. We met in the middle in a tight hug. It was amazing to finally meet the woman who had given birth to me all of seventeen years ago, it was amazing to be in the arms of my _mother_. We stayed like that, with her stroking the back of my damp hair, for what seemed like an eternity. I could already tell I was going to love her.

So many of my worries flew out of the window as soon as I was in my mothers embrace. She loved me, and that was all that mattered. We could get through this and I wouldn't be without my mother ever again.

"MOM, WHO IS IT?" I heard a loud, masculine voice shout, snapping my mother and I back into reality. Both of our arms dropped to our sides and we both just stood there, my mother neither answering the voice, nor talking to me, completely speechless, as I was too. In the back of my mind, the voice sounded vaguely familiar, but VERY vaguely. I didn't think the matter over too much, until it sounded again.

"MOM! WHY WON'T YOU ANSWER?!" The voice shouted again, this time sounding more angry. Suddenly, something clicked. The voice had said _"mom". _That would mean... That would mean that was Paul Walker, my _brother_.

"FUCK! MOM WHY WO..." The voice was cut short when the owner of it rounded the corner into the doorway and saw the figure standing there, coupled with my mothers red, damp eyes. He was _nothing _like I had expected him to be. Paul looked nothing like my mother and I, I mean he had the tanned skin and short, choppy black hair but his features were completely different. He was enormous, at least six foot five, or even taller, and he had deep forest green eyes that held a look of confusion and fading anger. On his arm was a strange, circular tattoo that I assumed was something to do with the Quiluete tribe.

"Mom? Who is this? Who..." He trailed off, whilst staring at the both of us, starting to see the obvious similarities between us. He looked like a dear caught in headlights.

"Who are you?" He finally asked, in an abnormally soft voice, which was almost comical coming from a guy like him. As I opened my mouth to answer him, my mother seemed to have overcome her initial shock and answered before I could speak.

"Darcy. It's Darcy, Paul," she said with increasing volume from a whisper. Paul stared at me for a second, then his eyes seemed to light up in recognition. He could remember me, and that surprised me, although he is two years my senior. His mouth opened like he was going to say something but instead he closed it again. I noticed him clench his hands into fists and then unclench them again. I frowned for a fraction of a second, wondering why he would do that, and as I looked at his face, I finally decided to speak up.

"Hi, bro," I said, smiling with teary eyes, not realising quite how happy I was at that second. Eventually the corners of his mouth curled upwards into a smile, which only made mine bigger. We looked at eachother for a little longer, and then, similtaneously, we ran towards eachother. I jumped into his open arms and we spun me around, exactly how I imagined brothers and sisters should act.

"Oh my god Darcy, you've grown a bit! But I thought you were..." he trailed off with a lopsided smile, which caused me to choke out a laugh, something I hadn't done in a very long time.

"Just a bit," I smiled back, and just then I heard chuckling from behind us. I looked round and my mother was laughing as well, a giant grin on her face, smiling through her tears.

For the first time in what felt like forever, I felt whole again. I felt like nothing could get to me and that I'd finally found a place I could call home, if my mother would let me stay of course.

This was the happiest I'd been in years. The joy I felt radiating from myself far surpassed anything I'd ever felt before, and I knew my mother and brother had picked up on it. As good as it felt being in the arms of my brother, I knew they would have questions; why the hell would I just turn up like this? Why now? And I, of course, have my own questions in turn.

After what seemed like hours, I retreated from my brothers embrace in order to ask a very difficult question. In my head it seemed simple, but now not so much. How was I to ask this of them? To stay indefinitely with them and invade on their, what I'm sure was a very happy, life.

My eyes fell to the floor and my smile faded slightly.

"I.. I need to ask something.." I mumbled, still finding the floor beneath my feet utterly fascinating.

My family's attention was completely on me, I couldn't exactly turn back now, not that I would have anyway, that being the whole reason I was here.

"Go ahead Darce," my mother said, her words kind and calm and her eyes soft, it was evident she had missed her daughter.

"I sort of.. sort of need somewhere to stay. And I was wondering.. well.. could I stay here for a bit?" There it was, at least I has said it, now I was just awaiting their rejection. I was crazy, right?

My mind was abuzz with all the things that could happen now. If I didn't have a home here, where would I go? It's not like I could go back, or anywhere easily trackable for that matter, danger likes following me. And if I could stay, how would it affect them? This isn't fair at all, on anyone involved.

It was Paul who spoke up first.

"Of course you can stay here... You're my SISTER. That's fine isn't it mom? She's staying here right?"

His words caused my heart to swell, maybe there was hope now? My mother stared at me for a moment longer, then broke into a beautiful smile.

"Of course she can, you're family Darcy," she said. I could sense my mothers excitement and love, but also her apprehension. She did not know how I was here, she only knew the circumstances under which I disappeared and I am sure she did not expect to see me ever again.

"Thank you," I exclaimed, and then in a whisper, "thank you." And with that I broke down again, tears rolling down my face. My mother brought me into another tight embrace and I sobbed into her soft shoulder.

My mother's breath was warm on my cheek.

"I'll take her to your room Paul. Darce, I'm taking you to bed, you need your rest. We'll talk about everything tomorrow okay sweetie?"

"Okay mom," I whispered, letting her lead me upstairs in my weak state. I was more exhausted than I had realised and sleep sounded just right about now. Even as I was, I still took in my surroundings. The house was just as beautiful on the inside, everything looked antique and aged, but at the same time strong and perfect. The stairs were obviously newer than a lot of the house and made of a dark wood, that creaked and groaned under mine and my mother's weight. I trailed my free hand along the banister, the other being held by my mother, my fingers brushing along the grain of the wood.

As an afterthought, my mother spoke again.

"Paul, bring her bag up as well please."

I faintly heard Paul following us up the stairs as I was lead into the first room on the left; this must be Paul's. The walls were an airy, off white colour and there was a large window towards the back of the room. I had a wonderful view of the forest from here and something in the back of my mind told me I'd appreciate that in the morning, if only so not so much sunlight got in and woke me.

Paul looked at me for a second from the doorway, before dumping my bag beside his large, queen size bed. It was very much too big for me, but I wasn't going to complain, the covers looked very inviting and I was fairly sure I'd pass out soon from the shock of it all.

I sat down on the bed as my mother pulled back the cover. It was at this moment when it felt like I had never been away from her. This is exactly what she would do for me fifteen years ago and I could now remember it clear as day. As I lay down, she pulled the thick, warm cover over me and gently kissed my forehead. The comfort this brought me was more than I could handle, and paired with the exhaustion, it sent me reeling over the edge into darkness, sinking into the deep sleep I most definitely needed. One last gaze out of the window told me the night was closing in as well, a dull orange glow filling the sky, that was slowly turning back to that mundane grey colour, and eventually black. I knew I would have to tell my mother what happened, and my brother too, I just didn't know how they'd take it. Who know's what tomorrow would bring.

**I know it's moving fast, I'll explain and slow down a little in the next chapter.**


	3. An Insight

**Chapter Three: An Insight**

_Previously:_

_I knew I would have to tell my mother what happened, and my brother too, I just didn't know how they'd take it. Who know's what tomorrow would bring._

The following morning, I awoke just as the sun began creeping above the horizon. There was no movement in the house yet and only the light sound of birdsong filtered in through the open window. I pulled myself up into a sitting position among the plethora of soft pillows and took a second to gather my thoughts.

For a moment, everything seemed too good to be true. For a moment, I forgot about _why_ I was here. For a moment, it seemed to me as if I had never left.

At least one thing felt certain, I belonged here. Not where I came from, not with _him_, but here, where I already felt at ease, safe, and loved.

As I swung my legs off the edge of the bed, I caught sight of a photograph sitting on what must have been Paul's dresser. My mother and brother were smiling at the camera, Paul looked to be around ten at the time, whilst sitting in the sand of a beautiful beach, the off white surf lazily criss-crossing the waves in the background. The scene brought a flurry of emotions to the forefront of my mind, some of which I couldn't fully comprehend. I was happy that they were, and had always been safe, and happy that they looked so happy, but I couldn't help but feel jealous, as this was the life that I had missed out on, the life I wished so badly that I could have had and the life that was so abruptly stolen from me and tossed aside like it was some stupid pipe dream, and not a perfectly reasonable and deserved existence.

I wandered over to the door and gently pulled it open, the hinges ever so slightly creaking under the strain. The second door I opened was my target destination, the bathroom. I couldn't wait to wash the final stress and dirt of my journey away. The bathroom was large and inviting, everything a warm earthy orange color, and plump looking towels sat on a wrack above the old fashioned radiator. As I stripped off my clothes, I took in my tired appearance in the antique looking mirror. I had dark bags under my eyes that had been there for so long, I couldn't remember if they were actually a feature of mine anymore. My collarbone was poking out from under my skin and my limp hair fell about my shoulders in a cascade of knots and tangles. The reason why I focused on my face so much was because I despised looking at the rest of my body. It made me feel sick, knowing that the countless crescent shaped scars would never leave me. A constant reminder of my past life, of _him_. To me, they were infinitely ugly. It meant no one could ever see my body, for fear of repulsion and mocking, and questions which I couldn't possibly answer without being put into a mental institution. The warmth of the running water calmed my muscles and washed out my mind, for which I was very grateful, and by the time I was done in the shower, the sun was pouring through the bathroom windows, having risen above the large smattering of grey clouds that were lining the sky.

My bag only contained a single change of clothes, as I didn't exactly have room for another. As I pulled on my light blue skin tight jeans, long sleeve white top, and woolen grey sweater, my stomach growled at me, indicating just how hungry I was.

Once dressed, I made my way downstairs and towards the kitchen. I could hear the shuffling and muffled voices of people moving around in there, so I assumed my mom and Paul were already down, I must have been in the shower longer than anticipated.

As I entered, both of them turned to me. Paul gave me a brilliant smile, my mother also giving me a smile, but it wasn't hard to see the anguish and questions dancing in her eyes.

"Hey Darce", Paul grinned.

"Hey", I repeated, the corners of my mouth pulling upwards.

"I hope you slept well Darcy," my mother said, "you looked like you really needed the rest."

"I did thanks mom, and I hadn't realised how tired I was."

Suddenly, it appeared that my mom couldn't hold back anymore. Tears bubbled up in the corner of her eyes and her voice wavered as she spoke,

"I can't believe you're really here Darcy," she almost whispered, "I never thought we'd see you again, I thought you were…"

"I'm really here mom," I quickly cut in, "for as long as you'll have me."

"This is your home Darcy," my mother replied, more adamantly this time, "you can stay for your whole life if you wanted!"

Paul was watching and listening to the current conversation silently, his eyebrows dipped in concentration, like he was trying to figure something out, to figure _me_ out.

Again my mother spoke,

"But, how did you get here? Where have you been? What _happened_ to you?", she rushed out. Paul decided to speak before I had a chance to answer, not that I had any idea what I should have said.

"Mom, she doesn't have to answer if she doesn't want to. _Look_ at her, the circumstances can't have been good," he stated, his hands clenching into fists at the end of the sentence and his body trembling slightly. I didn't take what he had said about my appearance as an insult, because it was _true_, I did look terrible.

"It's okay Paul, you both should know," I said, although I already knew that they wouldn't hear the whole story, I couldn't do that to them, if they even believed me in the first place. Both of them looked at me in anticipation, waiting for me to continue.

"Well, I guess you know I was, taken, when I was little," I started, my voice quiet and shy. My mother winced as I said this and cut me off,

"I never should have married him, I never knew what he'd be like, I never meant for anything to happen, this shouldn't have happened," she cried, her voice filled with anguish and regret, "I could've done more, this is my fault…"

"NO, it isn't mom," I almost shouted, "none of this is your fault, I don't blame you." It was true, nothing was her fault, she was charmed and deceived by the sick, conniving man that was my father. Not that she realised it at the time, which is why I knew she had done all she could, and why I knew she was not at fault.

"She's right mom," Paul added, "none of this is your fault, please don't do this to yourself," he ended, sounding upset, his body still trembling. My mother said nothing, clearly not believing what we had tried to convince her of, and I took that as a cue to carry on speaking.

"Since then, he made me stay with him at all times," I carried on, trying not to shudder at the thought, "I guess I was a, prisoner of sorts." Paul's expression darkened and his fists tightened by his sides. My mom had freely flowing tears rolling down her cheeks.

What I was telling them was difficult. I didn't want them to feel my pain, but that wasn't really a viable option. I knew I wasn't telling them the whole truth, but I wasn't lying either, just omitting details.

I kept on, deciding to take my story on the shortest path, and let them ask questions themselves,

"I didn't exactly get treated _badly_, but I wasn't treated well either. He treated me as a... personal assistant, and I got sick of it. That was when I ran away and found you," I said, leaving out a multitude of details. I was basically a slave to him, and he showed me no care or affection, like a father should.

They both had a million questions in their eyes, and Paul voiced his first.

"Did he… Touch you?" He angrily choked out, his face contorted in pain.

"NO, no, he never, ah, touched me, like that," I replied, hoping to dispel some of Paul's anger. My mother looked somewhat relieved, I don't know if she'd ever forgive herself if the answer had been any different, not that I held much hope for her forgiving herself anyway.

"Like that?" Paul repeated, his face flushed red. I was hoping he didn't pick up on that. I took a second to phrase my next few sentences, and to take a breath.

"When I, ah, didn't do something he, ah, liked, or not to his standards," I stuttered out, my eyes getting watery, "he, he…" I tried to get the words out but it was a lot harder than it seemed. Tears were now flowing as freely as my mothers down my flushed cheeks. What I was telling them were the memories I was trying my best to suppress, the memories that ruined my childhood and literally scared me for life.

Paul was eerily calm as he uttered his next words,

"He what, Darcy?"

I took another deep breath,

"He, he hit me," I whispered. He did hit me, in a way. Why else would I have my scars?

This was clearly not what either of them wanted to hear and I didn't blame them. My mother let out an anguished cry and ran towards me with her arms outstretched. She held on to me like her life depended on it and I held her back, each of us sobbing into eachothers arms. As she held me, all of my dark thoughts melted away, and I found comfort for the first time since I was a small girl. It felt good to let out this emotion, as any kind of emotion shown to _him_, would be punished on sight.

Paul's reaction was worse.

He stood there for a second, watching my mine and my mother's embrace. I could see all sorts of emotions flicker across his face from over my mom's shoulder, but he finally settled on rage.

His face turned an even darker crimson color, clearly visible even on his tan skin. His fists clenched and unclenched rapidly and his body was shaking violently now. Although it was a scary sight, his anger wasn't directed towards me, so I wasn't afraid. Without saying anything at all, he had turned towards the back door and in the blink of an eye, the door had crashed open, shuddering on it's hinges, and Paul was gone.

Through the open door, all I could see was the deep green color of the forest, everything slightly shiny under the misty rain that forever permeated the sky.


	4. A New Start

**Chapter Four: A New Start**

_Previously:_

_Without saying anything at all, he had turned towards the back door and in the blink of an eye, the door had crashed open, shuddering on it's hinges, and Paul was gone._

_Through the open door, all I could see was the deep green color of the forest, everything slightly shiny under the misty rain that forever permeated the sky._

The rest of the day was a blur. My mother and I spent most of it leaning against each other on the sofa, watching terrible daytime television, and I was incredibly grateful for it. The low mumbling that came from the speakers and the warmth of my mother pressed up against my side was helping me to stay calm, and to solidify the fact I was actually _here_.

Dusk soon embraced the quaint little house I was thankful I could now call home. From behind the television and out of the window, I could see purple and amber streaks washing across the dreary horizon, half shadowed by the lazy grey rain clouds that never seemed to want to leave. I hadn't been paying attention to the low drone of the television for some time now, just staring into oblivion, my mind as blank as a fresh sheet of paper. That, and the fact that I hadn't noticed my mother had gotten up, made me jump when I heard her speak.

"Evening already?" She pondered, as bewildered as me as to how we spent all day doing absolutely nothing, "would you like some green tea Darce?" She asked me, her voice a little more steady and upbeat than this morning.

"Yeah, that would be nice mom," I replied, the corners of my mouth curling upwards a little. It would be nice, I hadn't had green tea in a while, and it was so soothing.

My mother walked into the kitchen, throwing a smile my way as she rounded the corner. I relaxed further into my seat as my thoughts wandered onto Paul. Where was he? Where did he go? Was he okay? When was he coming back? I had so many unanswered questions, and my mother wasn't helping either, as she seemed to have completely forgotten about it. I could understand him being upset at what I said, but I didn't think he'd run off for an entire day because of it, I thought he would be here for me, like my mother was. His shaking was also something I had noticed. Anger problems maybe? It would make sense, but it was so violent. He didn't scare me though, even though I'd only really met him yesterday, I knew he, or my mother for that matter, would never hurt me. Before I could think any more, my mother stuck her head round the corner.

"What about dinner? We have some frozen pizzas?" She asked, "I would've got more food in…" she trailed off. Although palatable, frozen pizzas were not my first choice of food, and I really needed a distraction from the television.

"How about I cook tonight?" I countered, and just as mom opened her mouth to protest, I cut her off, "I love cooking, and it would be a nice distraction."

"Well, okay," she agreed, "it would be nice not to eat frozen food once in a while," she finished with a smile.

"Oh, your tea's on the counter, and ask me if you can't find anything, I'll sit in front of the television out of your way," she added with another smile, it was so reassuring and calming when she smiled at me and I couldn't get enough.

"Thanks mom," I said, returning her smile. As I got up, she took my place and I rounded the corner into the kitchen.

Cooking was something I loved to do. It was an escape, because when I was flying around the kitchen, making sure everything was mixed in just the way it should be, it was all consuming, and the world around me could only look in, I didn't see out. It started when I was forced to cook by _him_, but it was one of the few chores that I realised I truly didn't mind doing, and eventually it started becoming a method of relaxation for me, not to mention I was becoming something of a chef.

As I stumbled my way through the kitchen cabinets, I was starting to make something of a meal. After I found some mince beef in the fridge, I decided to make chilli, and just as I came back to start serving it up once it had been simmering for long enough, Paul emerged from the back door.

Instantly, my eyes locked on his and I could hear my mother get up in the other room.

"Hey Paul," I almost whispered, "you okay?" I asked, just glad to see him back.

"Yeah," he said, looking away from me, "listen Darce, I'm really sorry I stormed off like that, I didn't mean to upset you or anything, I just…"

"It's okay," I cut in, "it's understandable, I forgive you, I'm just glad you're back!" I ended, with a smile spreading across my face. I couldn't not forgive him, not that I was angry in the first place. Pauls relief was visible, he was obviously feeling incredibly guilty.

"Thanks Darce," he smiled back, "hey, is that chilli I smell?" I couldn't help but laugh a little at his enthusiasm.

"Yeah, do you want some? I'm just about to serve up," I asked him.

"Uhh, yeah!" He replied, over-enthusiastically. At this, all three of us made our way to the table for a proper family meal.

After Paul returned, the evening went quickly. Before I knew it, I was getting ready for bed again, whilst looking back over what I would call a perfect evening. Good food and my family around me, my _real_ family. Once in bed, I was too tired to think, and I fell quickly into a dreamless, comfortable sleep.

The next few days were relatively uneventful, and went quickly. My mother bought me a new cellphone and a few clothes from the shops at Port Angeles, where we went on a day trip, and Paul attempted to cook lasagne one night, which turned out less like lasagne, and more like chewy meat and ash, after he turned the oven up over what the temperature should have been. Although I'd only interacted with my mother and Paul here so far, it was already starting to really feel like my home.

One morning, ten days after I had arrived, I received a text message. When I woke up that morning, I showered as normal, and when I returned to my room, a light on my phone was blinking on and off. To start with, I had no idea what that meant, because it was a brand new phone, but after unlocking the screen, I saw it was a text. I was even more confused at this, and thought it must have been from the cell carrier as I hadn't given my number to anyone but Paul and mom, and they were both in the house. I was wrong.

**_I know where you are Darcy. If you tell on me, you'll regret it._**

That was all it read. Short, simple and terrifying. The moment I read those words, chills shot down my spine and I choked up. This wasn't fair, this was my escape. I was finally free and now I wasn't. He knew where I was. He had my new mobile number. He _knew where I was_. Although I couldn't have been too surprised at that, running to my mother wasn't exactly unexpected behaviour. What scared me the most though, is that if he wanted to, he could've taken me already. He absolutely had the power to get me, kill me, take me, whatever he wanted to do with me, but he hadn't, and I had no idea why. Why just threaten me? I didn't understand. The worst part was that I knew I absolutely couldn't tell anyone, not even mom. He would undoubtedly make me pay if anyone found out and went after him. I was a pawn in his sick game and I hated every second. Imagine, his own daughter, only a player in a dangerous, twisted game. After sitting there frozen for at least fifteen minutes, I snapped into action and quickly deleted the text and locked my phone.

After dressing myself, I made my way downstairs, only to run into a solid, warm wall when I rounded the corner at the bottom, effectively pushing all of the worried thoughts out of my mind.

"Ouch!" I cried as I stumbled back a little, but not enough to lose my balance.

"Oh my gosh, I'm sorry!" A voice replied, which confused me a little, as I was sure I had walked into a randomly appearing wall. As I looked up, my eyes came across a very tall and shirtless muscled figure, with an amused looking Paul standing behind. His hair was slightly longer than Paul's, and his eyes were a shade lighter, but that was pretty much all the differentiated them. After chuckling to himself, Paul decided to speak up.

"Watch where you're going Darce," Paul said, grinning at me mischievously, "this is my friend Embry."

"Yeah, I'm Embry," said Embry, "and you must be Darcy? Paul's sister?"

"Yeah, I am, hey Embry" I replied.

"I have to say," Embry started, "when Paul told us he had a sister, we didn't really believe him at first, we thought it was him pulling another prank, but you're real!" He exclaimed. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Yep, 100% real here, I promise!" I replied happily. Embry smiled and Paul hit him over the back of the head.

"Hey, what was that for?!" Exclaimed Embry.

"For doubting me," replied Paul.

"But you always lie!" Replied Embry, rubbing at the spot where Paul had hit him. I smiled at their childish interaction, not wanting to interrupt in case something funny happened again.

"Hey, while you're here Darce," said Paul, "there's a bonfire tonight down on First Beach, do you want to come? There's food and the elders tell the legends and stuff." I thought about it for a moment and suddenly the memory of what had just happened crossed into my mind. It must have shown on my face as Paul added,

"It's okay, there aren't loads of people going, they're all my friends and…"

"Yeah, I'll come," I quickly said, deciding I'd rather be around people tonight than on my own. Safety in numbers and all that, and it meant I wouldn't have time to dwell on that text either.

"Great, we'll come collect you!" Said Embry, "see you later then Darcy, and come on Paul, we're already late."

"Okay okay coming," said Paul, before they both rushed out the door. Late for what? Not like I had a chance to ask, although I was already looking forward to this evening.


	5. The Bonfire

**Just so you know, Jacob never imprinted on Nessy but she still exists in this story (bonus points if you found where she was briefly mentioned previously).**

**Chapter Five: The Bonfire**

_"Yeah, I'll come," I quickly said, deciding I'd rather be around people tonight than on my own. Safety in numbers and all that, and it meant I wouldn't have time to dwell on that text either._

_"Great, we'll come collect you!" Said Embry, "see you later then Darcy, and come on Paul, we're already late."_

_"Okay okay coming," said Paul, before they both rushed out the door. Late for what? Not like I had a chance to ask, although I was already looking forward to this evening._

After spending most of the day lazing around on the sofa and watching yet more daytime television, it was finally time to start getting ready for the bonfire that night. As I pulled myself up from the spot I had been occupying for the afternoon, a multitude of things were running through my head. Who was going to be there? Will they like me? What will they be like? Will they all be giants like Paul and Embry? And most importantly, what the hell was I going to do about that text message?

I pulled open the door to my room and went over to my closet, which was now filled with the new clothes that my mother had bought for me a few days earlier. I had never particularly cared what I looked like, as I had no reason to. Being practically locked away, not ever having to see anyone but _him_, made it so I didn't really understand fashion very well, I just wore what _I_ think looked good, and what was comfortable for me. The only thing that mattered was covering my scars, and since it was going to be a cool night, I didn't have to worry about looking stupid or overheating in a long sleeved top or hoodie. I finally decided on wearing a pair of black leggings, a dark purple long sleeved top and a maroon coloured hoodie with a monochrome picture of a ship on the front. That would do, warm, comfy and covered pretty much every part of me.

Next was my hair, the dark waves were currently more frizz than curl, so I quickly ran a brush through it. Once I'd seen how unredeemable it looked even after brushing, I put it up in a messy bun on the top of my head with a few strands hanging down at the sides. I never had the opportunity to even buy make-up before, let alone wear it, but when it caught my eye in a shop aisle, my mother insisted she buy some for me. She even showed me how to use it when she found out I had never worn it before. It was an unusual experience for a seventeen year old, considering most girls have already learnt this particular skill by the age of twelve or thirteen. I brushed some mascara over my eyelashes and used some concealer on the one stubborn spot that lurked on the side of my forehead, and I was done.

After looking in the mirror and confirming I hadn't messed up my make-up and my clothes looked okay, I was happy with my appearance. I seemed to be a bit more caring now about what I looked like, especially since I was meeting even more new people later and I didn't want to make a bad impression.

I decided to wait downstairs for Paul and Embry, and once I was down there, I checked my phone once again out of nervousness.

_**Pick u up at 7 :)**_

I smiled in relief that I hadn't read the wrong time on the text from Paul, and it was indeed ten minutes to seven. Paul's texting was always like this, shortened words and abbreviations and such, but it always made me smile because it was just so _Paul_.

At four minutes to seven, I heard the back door opening and got up to walk into the kitchen. As I rounded the corner, Embry was the one to greet me.

"Hey D," he said with a smile. D was new, although I instantly liked the new nickname, new was good, old was… not so good.

"Hey E," I said, returning the smile, mocking him slightly.

"Hey Darce, ready to go?" Paul asked, whilst quickly looking me up and down. I knew he was only checking what I was wearing, because although I'd only been there for ten days, he was already incredibly protective of me and I could imagine him being more so that night, as we were meeting up with a lot of new people.

"Yeah, where is it again?" I replied, completely forgetting where we were going.

"First Beach, it's about a mile walk," Paul informed me, also answering the second question I had.

The chatter continued while we walked out the door and locked it behind us, although it was mostly Embry and Paul bickering good-naturedly about various pranks and things they'd done to each other. The walk to First Beach was very short and only took us fifteen minutes, although I had a feeling Paul and Embry were slowing down for me and could've got there a lot faster.

The sky was dark and, since there was little light pollution, twinkled with starlight from the breaks in the clouds. The air was cool but not cold, and it was surprisingly not raining, but the clouds were certainly threatening to spill over. I couldn't help but notice how peaceful everything looked at night, even more so than the daytime, and it made me want to spend more time out here just enjoying the scenery.

As we approached what looked like a roaring bonfire on shoreline, I was pulled out of my daydreaming by Paul's voice.

"Earth to Darce?! I said we're here!" He spoke, a bit louder than normal.

"Well yeah, I guessed," I shot back, grinning at him. He shook his head, also grinning, and kept walking.

"Oh, and don't stare at Emily, okay?" He added, just before we got within earshot of the group of people I could see gathered near a table next to the fire. Before I could ask why not, and ask who Emily was in the first place, we had reached the table and most people's attention was now on us. From the faces I could see, there were nine people already here, and one small girl, who looked to only be three or four years old. All of the men were huge, I guess that answered my previous questions.

Two of the women were standing towards the back of the table, politely talking to each other and waiting for me to be introduced instead of staring like a lot of the guys were doing. The third woman was stood a small distance from the table, looking deeply into the fire and not acknowledging our arrival at all, which I was grateful for. Having everyone looking at me was making me nervous. The little girl was happily braiding one of the guys' long hair and she too had not noticed me yet, although the guy whose hair was being braided certainly had and he grimaced, clearly embarrassed at what was happening, but he didn't make her stop. The rest of the guys were hovering around or near to the food filled table and all were looking between me and Paul expectantly, most looked like they were trying to gauge if we were really brother and sister. From my previous encounter with Embry, I'd learned they weren't sure if I existed. Paul was the first to speak up.

"Hey guys, this is Darcy," he said, waving his hand in my direction, "Darcy, this is the pa- gang," he finished. I gave him a bewildered look, I mean how hard was it to say the word 'gang' correctly. The introduction seemed to break the ice a little and one of the women came over to talk to me, while Paul and Embry made a beeline for the food, only to be stopped by the other woman, who smacked their wrists. I smiled at the funny sight of them sulking.

"Hi Darcy, I'm Emily, it's great to meet you," she said, her voice warm and caring. I looked up at her face and I couldn't help but be a little shocked. One side had a large scar of what looked like scratch marks over it, but it certainly didn't detract from her overall beauty, and she certainly was beautiful. This must have been what Paul had meant about not staring.

"It's great to meet you too Emily, thanks for having me," I smiled, really meaning it. It was really great to be welcomed into their community so quickly.

"It's no problem Darce," she replied, quickly moving on to using my nickname which I much prefered, "now grab some food before the guys eat it all," she said, then lowering her voice a little, "they eat like pigs, trust me," she finished. I laughed a little at that, and even more when I heard a chorus of 'hey' and 'no we don't'. It felt really good to laugh, since I hadn't really had the chance in a long while.

As the evening progressed, I ended up talking to almost everyone. Quil was the unfortunate one to have his hair braided by the adorable Claire, who had insisted I give her a piggyback after five minutes of knowing me. Collin and Brady were the youngest of the group at fifteen and I'd learnt they were almost inseparable. The two couples were Kim and Jared, and Sam and Emily, who both looked at each other like there was no one else in the world. Sam also appeared to be the, sort of leader of the group, as when Paul and another guy, Seth, were arguing, he soon put a stop to it. The last person I had yet to meet was Leah, as I had been told by Kim. Apparently, she wasn't really a people person, but since I hadn't met her yet, I wasn't going to judge.

Just as I was about to go over and introduce myself to Leah, I, and a few other people, noticed another person emerge from the tree line. As he took a few more steps, more people noticed his presence and the atmosphere seemed to get a little tense. The man walking towards the group was very tall, even more so than Paul, probably the tallest of everyone. He had short, dark hair but I couldn't see his eyes, and his demeanour seemed stern, even a little angry. Maybe that was why everyone was so tense. As he got closer, his path took him directly towards Sam. What came next surprised me.

"WHY THE FUCK DID YOU TELL BELLA SHE COULDN'T COME HERE ANYMORE, YOU HAVE NO RIGHT," he shouted at Sam, his voice laced with venom and his arms shaking by his sides.

"Jacob calm down," Sam replied smoothly, whilst he instinctively moved in front of Emily. Jacob eh, I wondered what his problem was.

"DON'T FUCKING TELL ME TO CALM DOWN, YOU HAVE NO RIGHT, SHE CAN COME HERE WHENEVER SHE WANTS, HER BEING A LEECH MEANS NOTHING, SHE'S STILL BELLA," Jacob carried on. Who was Bella? And why was she a leech? Had she stolen money from people or something? I was getting pretty confused at this point. Most people backed away from the pair, including me, because this honestly scared me, and everyone had fallen silent. As far as I knew, I was unnoticed by Jacob, which was a very, very good thing.

Without letting Sam say anything, Jacob carried on, "SHE'S STILL BELLA," he repeated again, "YOU'RE BEING FUCKING RIDICULOUS SAM, THE CULLENS ARE NO THREAT TO US AND I COULDN'T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT THE OTHERS ANYWAY, THE TREATY WAS ONLY FOR THEM, I HATE THEM BUT BELLA COMES DOWN HERE ALL THE TIME, YOU HAVE NO RIGHT," he continued on, "JUST BECAUSE SHE'S A VAM-"

"JACOB," Sam interrupted, "watch what you say to me, and watch what you're saying around the others," he snarled out, low and dangerously. This was the leader Sam I was seeing, "Paul's sister is here," Sam added, his eyes flickering over to me, along with almost everyone else's. I looked at the floor because it was an instinct of mine when I was being stared at.

After a second or two of silence, I slowly looked up again. Most peoples eyes were still on me, but I was looking at Jacob. At first, I noticed how violently he was shaking. His fists were curled up against his sides and he reminded me a lot of how Paul reacted on my first night here. As my eyes trailed further up his body, I couldn't help but notice he was shirtless, and if he wasn't being such an ass, he would definitely be considered attractive.

Finally, my eyes reached his face, and as soon as his eyes met my own, I saw a multitude of emotions wash over him in but a few milliseconds. In that moment, I felt as if I couldn't look away, and I felt as if we were the only two people in the world. It was a strange feeling, and not one I had experienced before. I felt warm in the cool of the night, and I stood there, staring like a loon, until I was snapped out of it by a gasp from Emily. As Emily's hand shot up to cover her mouth, Jacob had obviously snapped out of it as well. The only emotion Jacob's face now portrayed was anger as he started to speak.

"Are you fucking KIDDING ME?!" He roared, and I flinched a little. He began walking towards me and I had no idea why. What could he possibly have to do with me? Paul also moved a lot closer to me.

"I LOVE BELLA, YOU'VE RUINED EVERYTHING YOU STUPID GIRL, WHAT THE HELL-" he was swiftly cut off by Paul, who had given him a right hook to the jaw. Both were shaking violently as Paul roared back at him.

"THAT'S MY SISTER, YOU'RE FUCKING DEAD JACOB," he shouted, before punching Jacob again in the same place.

I had no idea how to react to what I had just witnessed, but my body was there to react for me. Tears were now creeping down my face as I backed away from the emerging fight in front of me. What the hell had I done to him to make him hate me so much? Story of my life I guess, there didn't need to be a trigger from me, I just got abused anyway.

The next few minutes were a blur. Sam, Embry and Jared managed to drag Paul and Jacob into the woods lining the edge of the beach, presumably to stop Claire and I from witnessing their fighting. Kim and Emily had rushed over to me and Emily was stroking my hair. In my tear filled haze, I heard Emily saying she was going to take me back to her house and tell my mom where I was, which I was grateful for.

The last thing I heard before leaving the beach was the sorrow filled howl of a wolf from somewhere within the forest. I laughed to myself a little, because it's cry mirrored how I was feeling exactly. I had just got here and now I might have to leave again after being the cause of so much trouble. It wasn't fair, nothing in my life was ever fair.


End file.
